JP2021527942A - Portable rapid large area thin film photosintering equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for using a photosintering system for sintering one or more paint layers for a paint circuit. In one aspect, the photosintering system is a photosintering device comprising a light source and a plurality of proximity sensors, a data communication link, and one or more processors that communicate data with the photosintering device via the data communication link. The operation of acquiring an image of the sintered region, the operation of generating a grid of the sintered region including a plurality of partial regions, and the partial sintering energy for each partial region of the plurality of partial regions are determined. , Instructs how to position the light-sintered device with respect to the partial region, acquires the current position information with respect to the light-sintered device, determines the exposure sintering energy for a specific partial region, and exposes the exposure sintering energy. It can act to perform the action that triggers.

Description

Conventional solar cells use a substrate having a very regular crystal structure, such as crystalline silicon. Newer technologies include thin film amorphous solar cells that form discrete layers of individual materials with highly regular and predictable chemical structures. Solar cell fabrication for commercial purposes generally requires very specialized equipment, so the solar cells produced are limited to complex manufacturing equipment and / or geographical locations with access to special shipping and installation functions. Will be done.

The present specification relates to a photosintering system for sintering one or more paint layers for a paint circuit. The photosintering system comprises a photosintering device that can be used to sinter an area containing one or more paint layers, and the operation of the photosintering device is a communication port (eg, a serial port). It can be controlled using a mobile device (or other suitable device, such as a tablet device or desktop device) that communicates data with the photosintering device through.

In general, one innovative aspect of the subject matter described herein comprises taking an image of the sintered region and generating a grid of sintered regions containing multiple partial regions relative to the sintered region. , Each sintered region can be embodied in a way that is determined by its length and width, as well as its position within the sintered region. For each particular subregion of multiple subregions, this method determines how to determine the respective subsintering energy for a particular subregion and how to position the photosintering device with respect to the particular subregion. To obtain the current position information for the photosintered device, and to know that the photosintered device is positioned with respect to a specific subregion according to the instructions on how to position the photosintered device. Determining that the location information suggests, determining the exposure sintering energy for a particular subregion and the cumulative amount of sintering energy previously exposed to a particular subregion, and the photosintering device. This includes initiating exposure of the exposure sintering energy to a specific partial region according to instructions on how to position.

Each of these and other embodiments may optionally include one or more of the following features: In some implementations, acquiring an image of the sintered region involves capturing an image of the sintered region with a camera of a mobile device. The camera of the mobile device can be used to obtain current location information by providing one or more images of the sintered area. One or more images of the sintered region can include one or more images of one or more painted layers on the substrate.

In some implementations, these methods further include obtaining compositional data of the sintered region, the compositional data being i) width and length of one or more painted layers, ii) 1 The layer thickness of one or more painted layers, or iii) comprises one or more of the material compositions of one or more painted layers.

In some implementations, these methods further include determining the total sintering energy for the sintering region based in part on the composition data of the sintering region, where the total sintering energy for the sintering region is sintered. Corresponds to the amount of energy required to sinter one or more painted layers of the region.

In some implementations, these methods further include obtaining composition data for each subregion of multiple subregions, the composition data for each subregion i) painting one or more within the subregion. Of the width and length of the layers, the layer thickness of one or more painted layers in the ii) partial area, or the material composition of one or more painted layers in the ii) partial area. Includes one or more of. Each partial sintering energy can be determined in part based on the composition data of the partial regions of the plurality of partial regions for each partial region of the plurality of partial regions.

In some embodiments, determining that the current location information suggests that the photosintered device is positioned with respect to a particular subregion according to instructions on how to position the photosintered device is photoburning. Including determining that the photosintered device is parallel to the subregion, eg, parallel to the surface of the subregion, based on proximity data from one or more proximity sensors on the device. ..

Instructions on how to position the photosintered device with respect to a particular subregion include presenting location information on the display of the mobile device, eg, an alignment queue within a graphical user interface on the mobile device. be able to. In some embodiments, the instructions on how to position the photosintered device with respect to a particular region control the relative position of the photosintered device with respect to a particular region and photoburn to a particular region. It can include transmitting instructions to an automated device that changes the orientation of the device, such as a control system in a factory environment.

In general, one innovative aspect of the subject matter described herein is via a light source, eg, an optical sintering device including a flash lamp, and multiple proximity sensors, data communication links, and data communication links. It can be embodied in an optical sintering system comprising one or more processors capable of data communication with an optical sintering device and performing the method of sintering a sintered region detailed above.

Each of these and other embodiments may optionally include one or more of the following features: The photosintering system can include a mobile device or an automated device with a camera that controls the relative position of the photosintering device with respect to a particular subregion of the sintered area, such as a control system in a factory environment. The camera of the mobile device captures one or more images of the sintered region, for example, one image of the sintered region, the current position information of the photosintered device with respect to a specific partial region of the sintered region, and the like. Can be used to get. The mobile device can be used, for example, to provide instructions on how to position the photosintered device with respect to a particular subregion via a graphical user interface displayed on the mobile device.

Specific embodiments of the subject matter described herein may be implemented to achieve one or more of the following advantages: The advantage of this technology is that it is used to sinter one or more layers of a solar paint system in a field location (eg, a private home, factory environment, office building, or similar). The point is that it includes a low-cost portable photosintering system that can be used. This photosintering system has considerably lower equipment expenditure than conventional systems. A graphical user interface (GUI) for photosintering applications for photosintering systems can interactively guide users in a step-by-step process for painting and sintering specific solar paint circuits. This facilitates fabrication by users with limited knowledge or experience of the manufacturing process. Photosintering applications can be utilized in cross-platform forms of various types of devices without the need to generate platform-specific software. Photosintering systems can further share common control software implementations across multiple consumer / industrial level platforms, facilitating the propagation of improvements / updates between different platforms. This makes it possible to achieve maximum development efficiency. The photosintering system is adaptable to changes such as changing the number of light-sintering devices, changing the position / dimensions of the area to be sintered, and changing the output of the light-sintering devices, production parameters, For example, in order to optimize the yield, the TensorFlow format makes it possible to easily perform the simulation.

In addition, unlike traditional commercial solar cell fabrication, solar paint circuits are located in remote areas where (for example, electricity or other resources required by traditional approaches are not available). It can be made by an individual using a small number of tools (eg, hand mixer and aerosol spray). The solar paint circuits described herein are made by using a combination of inexpensive basic materials for forming electronic circuits, which reduces fabrication complexity and is for manufacturers and end users. Cost is reduced. In general, many of the materials used in solar paint circuits are less dangerous than the materials used in conventional solar cells and are less expensive to manufacture and ship. Moreover, while the existing infrastructure of common paint factories can be easily converted to produce solar paint circuits, traditional solar cell fabrication requires very specialized equipment. The relationship between the electrically active material and its paint substrate makes it possible to select the electrical properties of the paint using relatively simple mathematical analysis techniques. In addition, since the viscosity of the paint and / or the number of layers to be applied can be controlled, the electrical properties can be easily changed by changing the viscosity of the paint to be applied and / or the number of paint layers to be applied. Will be possible. This type of flexibility is typically not available in traditional, more accurate circuit fabrication methods.

Details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter described herein are described in the accompanying drawings and the following description. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from the description, drawings, and claims.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary operating environment for a photosintering system. It is a block diagram of an exemplary grid applied to a photosintered region. It is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for a photosintering system. It is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for painting a paint circuit. It is a block diagram of an exemplary solar paint circuit.

Overview Described below are systems, devices, and methods for sintering one or more paint layers to produce a solar paint circuit. The photosintering system can include a handheld photosintering device that can be used to sinter areas containing one or more paint layers. The behavior of the photosintered device can be controlled using the user's mobile device (or other suitable device) that communicates data with the photosintered device through a communication port (eg, a serial port).

More specifically, the photosintering system obtains information, such as an image of the area to be sintered (eg, captured by a camera on the user's mobile device) and the dimensions of the area to be sintered. You can generate instructions to assist the user performing the sintering, which is, for example, the graphical user interface (GUI) of the photosintering application on the user's mobile device (or tablet device). Includes instructions for the relative alignment of the photosintered device to the region to be sintered through.

The photosintering application can apply a grid format that separates the region to be sintered into multiple subregions to the region to be sintered. The photosintering application determines the sintering energy applied to the entire region to be sintered and also determines the sintering energy applied to each partial region. Photosintering applications include, for example, the amount and profile of sintering energy applied to the sintering region throughout the sintering process at each step of the sintering process, such as length of time, minimum energy, maximum energy, total. Track energy and more. The cumulative amount of sintering energy applied to the sintered region is such that one or more painted layers of the sintered region paint one or more of the sintered regions to achieve the desired set of layer properties. Some may depend on the amount of energy required to sinter the layers.

In some embodiments, cumulative sintering fully sinters a nanoparticle-based paint layer, such as a copper oxide nanoparticle paint layer, to give the paint layer a desired set of properties, eg, electrical. The energy required to form a paint layer that behaves as a continuous and / or structurally continuous layer.

Cumulative energy is the amount of energy that causes a change in the chemical structure of the paint layer to shift from a paint layer that behaves as independent nanoparticles to a paint layer that behaves as an amorphous solid through the process of densification and grain growth. May be.

In some embodiments, the cumulative amount of sintering energy may be tracked by subregion, thereby tracking the sintering energy applied to each subregion, and even each subregion is specific. Track how much additional sintering energy still needs to be applied to each subregion to be sintered to have a set of properties, such as electrical properties, structural properties, etc. can do. Multiple subregions of the sintered region may each contain one or more of the same or different painted layers, each subregion each having the desired set of layer properties. The same or different amounts of cumulative sintering energy may be required.

Images captured by multiple proximity sensors and / or the camera of the user's mobile device located on the photosintering device provide current location information to the photosintering application. The photosintering application uses the current location information to assist the user in aligning the photosintering device with respect to the surface of the area to be sintered (eg, the text presented in the GUI and the text and instructions. / Or use a graphical guide) and provide it through the GUI. For example, these instructions allow the user to position the photosintered device at a specific distance from the surface of the area to be sintered and / or with the surface of the area where the photosintered device should be sintered. Allows for parallel positioning.

Generally, a paint circuit (for example, a solar paint circuit) is formed by applying a conductive paint (for example, solar paint) to the surface of a base material layer by layer. The substrate may be, for example, a piece of wood, brick, gypsum, stone, a metal surface, or another surface to which paint can be applied. Applying a layer of solar paint to the substrate can be done manually using an aerosol dispenser, another aerosol spray tool, or the like.

Although the terms "solar paint circuit" and "solar paint" are used in the context of describing a particular embodiment of the subject matter, this is not meant to be limiting. Other paint circuits that do not integrate solar energy (eg, batteries, light emitting diodes, antennas, or other circuit elements), as well as paint layers that are not directly involved in the formation of solar integrated circuits, may be implemented.

In some implementations, the painted circuit can be formed by applying a single paint layer to the substrate. For example, a simple resistance circuit can be formed by applying a single paint layer to the substrate. As described in more detail below, the paint layer applied to the substrate is defined in part by the conductivity of the conductive material contained in the conductive paint compounding, eg, the resistivity of the nanoparticles and the thickness of the paint layer. It can be a conductive paint compounding agent having resistance to be applied. In some implementations, when a conductive material with a higher resistivity is included in the paint formulation, the resistance of the paint formulation is when a conductive material with a lower resistivity is included in the paint formulation. Will be higher than.

In some implementations, the paint layer is applied through the template (eg, mask, stencil, and / or screen printing tool), so the paint is applied to the substrate as part of the template, but the second of the template. Different parts of the are prevented from being applied to the substrate.

The paint layer can be applied using a paint brush, paint roller, or other paint tool. The paint for the paint layer is aerosolized and can be applied to the substrate using an aerosol spray tool, spray can, or other aerosol dispenser. In some implementations, the paint layer can be applied using a dip coating or a doctor blade coating.

In some implementations, multiple paint layers are applied to the substrate to form a painted circuit. For example, after the first paint layer is applied to one part of the substrate, the other layers are applied to other parts of the substrate (eg, adjacent to the first layer) and / or of the substrate. It can be applied to areas that have already been painted (eg, applied to the first paint layer). Each paint layer forms an electrical component of the painted circuit (eg, electron transport layer, hole transport layer, etc.).

By adjusting the viscosity of the paint layer, the thickness of the paint layer applied to the substrate can be changed, which affects the resistance of the paint layer. For example, a paint formulation with a higher viscosity results in a thicker paint layer than a paint formulation with a lower viscosity, and a thicker paint layer is generally compared to a thinner layer of a similar formulation. It will have higher resistance in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the layer.

In some implementations, the size of the paint droplets scattered by the aerosol spray determines, in part, the thickness of the paint layer applied to the substrate, which in turn determines the resistance / conductance of the paint layer. affect. For example, a larger droplet size of paint dispensed by an aerosol spray results in a thicker paint layer compared to a smaller droplet size of the same paint dispensed by an aerosol spray, resulting in a thicker paint layer. Generally has a higher resistance in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the layer than a thinner layer of similar formulation.

In some implementations, one or more paint layers are sintered using, for example, the photosintering system described herein, whereby the structure of one or more paint layers. Can produce physical and / or electrical properties. Sintering of a paint layer containing one or more nanomaterials, eg nanoparticles, can cause agglomeration, reduced porosity, and / or densification of the paint layer due to grain growth. Other sintering methods, such as furnaces, rapid heat treatment systems, or other systems that result in high temperatures for the duration of the sintering process are also possible.

The sintering process, as described below with reference to FIGS. 1-3, can be implemented at various stages of the process of making the painted circuit. In some implementations, each painted layer of one or more painted layers of a painted circuit is electrically and / / before applying a subsequent painted layer of the painted circuit, respectively. Alternatively, it is sintered to form a structurally complete painted layer. In some implementations, multiple painted layers with different compositions or the same composition can be sintered in the sintering process.

Various types of circuits and devices, including the solar cells described below with reference to FIG. 5, can be made using painted layers. Other paint circuits can be made using the techniques described below, including solar cells, in which case the solar cells charge the batteries. Another example of a paint circuit is a solar cell-powered street light that includes a solar cell, a battery, and a light emitting circuit. Another example of a paint circuit is a solar cell with an output regulator for adjusting the solar cell to the maximum output point of the solar cell, which can be used as part of a mobile phone charging circuit. Various circuit elements such as resistors, capacitors, diodes, and transistors can be made using the solar paint described herein.

The exemplary circuit described below with reference to FIG. 5 is depicted as a single layer of each paint layer in the form of a block diagram, although multiple uses of a particular paint layer (eg, multiple). Layer) can be used to achieve the desired electrical and / or functional properties. Further, although the examples shown below illustrate a single subcircuit (eg, a single solar cell) integrated and / or painted on one paint circuit, multiple subcircuits. May be incorporated and / or painted, thereby forming a larger paint circuit (eg, multiple solar cells) to achieve the desired device performance.

Photo-sintering system FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary operating environment 100 for the photo-sintering system 101. The photosintering system 101 includes a photosintering device 102 that communicates data with the user device 104 on the data communication link 106.

The optical sintering device 102 is a portable device including a high energy light source such as a xenon bulb, a high lumen light emitting diode (LED), a high brightness infrared light source, or the like. High-energy light sources provide a controlled amount of light energy, for example, light energy on the order of several kJ / mm ² , for example, 1 kJ / mm ² , 3 kJ / mm ² , 10 kJ / mm ² , in microseconds. For example, it is transmitted with a pulse duration on the order of several microseconds, several tens of microseconds, and the like. The photosintering device 102 may include a plurality of capacitors for charging a high energy light source from an external power source, for example, from a standard power source available in residential or commercial establishments.

The light sintering device 102 can include a driver circuit capable of digitally controlling the emission of light energy from a high energy light source. In addition, the driver circuitry safely discharges the energy stored in the photosintered device when the external power supply is turned off, for example using a high resistance discharge resistor or another similar method. A discharge circuit capable of being provided can be further provided.

In some implementations, the photosintering device 102 is an optical assembly having one or more optical components, such as lenses, irises, filters, or the like, to manipulate the light beam from a high energy light source. To be equipped with. In one example, the optical assembly may include a collimating lens such that the output light beam from the light sintering device is uniform over the diameter of the light beam. In another example, the optical assembly can include a parabolic mirror to focus the light output from the high energy light source. In another example, the optical assembly can include a laser and a beam splitter, the high light source is a laser, and the beam splitter is used to manipulate the light beam from the laser.

The photosintering device 102 includes a plurality of proximity sensors 103. The proximity sensor 103 is a device capable of measuring the relative distance from the proximity sensor 103 to the surface, for example, the surface of the sintered region 107 where there is no physical contact between the proximity sensor and the surface. The proximity sensor 103 may be, for example, an optical proximity sensor. The photosintering device 102 can include one or more proximity sensors 103 that can be used to determine the distance from the photosintering device 102 to the surface of the sintered region 107.

In some embodiments, the photosintering device 102 comprises at least three proximity sensors 103, where the proximity sensor 103 has information about the relative orientation of the photosintering device 102 with respect to the surface where the location data from the proximity sensor 103. For example, it is configured to be placed on the body of the photosintering device so that it can provide tilt / tilt, rotation, levelness, and so on. In one example, the three proximity sensors 103 may be arranged and configured in a triangular shape on the body of the photosintering device 102. In particular, proximity sensors have a specific surface, such as a light beam from a high-energy light source. It can be determined whether it is perpendicular to the sintered region 107.

In some implementations, the proximity sensor 103 has the ability to capture depth perception data for the light sintering system 102 and has two resolutions high enough to distinguish the surface features of the sintered region 107. Or it may be a higher camera. The camera can be used to determine the relative location of the photosintering device 102 with respect to the coordinate plane of the surface of the sintering region 107.

In some embodiments, the proximity sensor 103 may be a light detection and distance measurement (LiDAR) sensor with topological mapping capabilities, the LiDAR sensor being on a nanometer scale to analyze features on the surface of the sintered region. Has resolution. Further details regarding measuring the orientation of the photosintered device 102 with respect to the sintered region 107 are presented below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

In some implementations, the distance of the photosintered device 102 to the surface of the sintered region 107 uses a reference measuring tool, such as a ruler or a tool of known length, to provide a visual clue. Can be partially determined. Image recognition software, including a neural network, recognizes the shape and orientation of the reference measurement tool and gives the tool's appearance to the photosintered device 102 and the sintered region 107 with respect to the surface of the photosintered device 102 and the sintered region 107. It can be used to convert to the distance between.

In some implementations, the user device 104 is a mobile device (or tablet device) that hosts one or more native applications, such as a photosintering application 108. The photosintering application 108 includes an application environment 110 (eg, a graphical user interface (GUI)) that the user of the user device 104 uses when interacting with the photosintering application 108. User device 104 may be a non-cellular local network connection device with a mobile phone or display. The user device 104 may also be a mobile phone, smartphone, tablet PC, personal digital assistant (“PDA”), or any other device configured to communicate and display information over a network. It is possible. In some implementations, the user device 104 may include other communication devices as well as handheld or portable electronic devices for gaming, communication, and / or data organization. The user device 104 performs functions unrelated to the photosintering application 108, such as making personal calls, playing music, playing videos, displaying photos, browsing the Internet, and maintaining an electronic calendar. You may do it.

The user device 104 includes a camera 112, such as a camera provided on a smartphone, tablet, or other mobile device. The camera 112 comprises a field of view 114 and can be used to capture video and image data of a scene within the field of view 114 of the camera 112. The photosintering application 108 can access the camera 112 to collect imaging data during the photosintering process. Further details related to the collection of imaging data will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

In some embodiments, the photosintering device 102 replaces the camera 112 on the user device 104 by the photosintering system 101 or to capture image or video data during the photosintering process. In addition there may be a camera 112 available.

As shown in FIG. 1, a front view 114 of the user device 104 provides an application environment 110 for the user of the user device 104 to interact with the photosintering application 108, such as a graphical user interface (GUI). Includes.

The data communication link 106 enables the transfer of information between the optical sintering device 102 and the user device 104. In some embodiments, the data communication link 106 is a cable link, such as a serial cable, a USB cable, a coaxial cable, an HDMI® cable, or the like, using a particular communication protocol. Allows the transfer of data between the optical sintering device 102 and the user device 104. The cable is compatible with the cable and comprises a respective connector selected based in part on the available ports on the user device 104 and the photosintering device 102. In the serial cable example, a serial communication protocol is utilized, where each connector on the serial cable is connected to its respective port on the optical sintered device 102 and the mobile device 104. In another example, the data communication link 106 is a USB cable.

In some implementations, the data communication link 106 is part of a network that is configured to allow the transfer of information between the photosintering device 102 and the user device 104. Networks include, for example, the Internet, wide area networks (WAN), local area networks (LAN), analog or digital wired and wireless telephone networks (eg, public exchange telephone network (PSTN), integrated services digital network (ISDN), cellular networks. , And digital subscriber line (DSL)), radio, television, cables, satellites, or any other distribution or tunneling mechanism for transmitting data.

The network may include multiple networks or subnetworks, each of which may include, for example, a wired or wireless data path. The network may include circuit-switched networks, packet-switched data networks, or any other network capable of transmitting electronic communications (eg, data or voice communications). For example, networks include Internet Protocol (IP), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), PSTN, IP, X.I. 25, or a packet-switched network based on Frame Relay, or a network based on other comparable technologies, may include, for example, VoIP, or other comparable protocols used for voice communications to support voice. May be good. The network may include one or more networks including wireless data channels and wireless voice channels. The network may be a wireless network, a broadband network, or a combination of networks including a wireless network and a broadband network.

In some embodiments, the data communication link 106 uses another method for wireless connectivity on the network, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth LE, ZigBee, Z-wave, or near field communication protocols. It is a wireless connection, and the user device 104 and the optical sintering device 102 communicate via the wireless connection.

The photosintering application 108 is shown in FIG. 1 as an application hosted on the user device 104. In some implementations, some or all of the calculations performed by the photosintering application 108 are hosted on a remote server that is in data communication with the user device 104 and / or the photosintering device 102 over the network. obtain.

The photosintering application 108 can include a grid generator 116, a partial region exposure determinant 118, and an exposure instruction generator 120. Although shown as a grid generator 116, a partial region exposure determinant 118, and an exposure instruction generator 120 in FIG. 1, each of the grid generator 116, the partial region exposure determinant 118, and the exposure instruction generator 120 is shown. The operations described herein with reference to can be performed by more or fewer modules with one or more processors.

As an input, the grid generator 116 receives the photosintered region data 122 related to the sintered region 107. The photosintered region data 122 includes an image 124 of the sintered region 107, a size 126 of the photosintered region, and an initial alignment of the proximity sensor 103 with respect to the sintered region 107.

In some implementations, the photosintered region data 122 includes the composition data of the sintered region 107, which is, for example, the width and length of one or more painted layers of the sintered region 107. For example, the dimensions 126 of one or more painted layers of the sintered region 107, the layer thickness, and / or the material composition of the one or more painted layers of the sintered region 107 may be included. The painted layers are described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

In some implementations, the photosintered region data 122 includes the characteristics of the photosintered device 102, eg, the characteristics of the exposure beam 128. The exposed beam 128 can have an associated beam spot size and beam intensity profile. Other properties can include the range of available light source intensities, the length of charge time between flashes of the light source, for example, in the case of flashlamps, the wavelength of the light source.

As an output, the grid generator 116 generates the grid 130 of the sintered region 107 based in part based on the photosintered region data 122. The grid 130 divides the sintering region 107 into a plurality of partial regions 132, and each partial region 132 is a small region of the entire region of the sintering region 107. Each subregion 132 of the plurality of subregions has its own subregion dimension 127, eg, width W'and length L'. Each location in the grid 130 and the partial region dimension 127 of each partial region 132 are the characteristics of the photosintering device, eg, the range of exposure energy available to the photosintering device 102, for the photosintering device 102. It may depend on the resolution of the high energy light source, or other properties that can affect the energy output of the light sintering device 102. Further details relating to the generation of the grid 130 by the grid generator 116 are included in the description of FIG. 3 below. The rectangular subregion is presented as an example, but it should be noted that any other suitable shape can also be used to define the subregion.

The partial region exposure determinant 118 receives, as input, the position data 134 of the grid 130 and the optical sintering device 102 applied to the sintering region 107. The position data 134 includes the relative position of the photosintering device 102 with respect to the sintering region 107. The position data 134 may be provided to the photosintering application 108 by the proximity sensor 103 via a data communication link. The position data can include, for example, the tilt / tilt of the photosintering device 102 with respect to the surface of the sintered region 107. For example, the proximity sensor 103 can detect that the photosintered device is oriented so that it is not parallel to the surface of the sintered region 107.

In some implementations, the position data 134 can include the orientation of the photosintered device 102 with respect to one or more edges of the sintered region 107. For example, the proximity sensor 103 can detect a difference in material composition between the surface of the sintered region 107 and a surface that is not the sintered region 107, for example, a bare base material, for example, due to a difference in reflectance. The edge location information from the proximity sensor 103 can be used by the photosintering application 108 to determine the relative position of the photosintering device 102 with respect to the sintering region 107.

In some implementations, the position data 134 can include a captured real-time image 134 of the sintered region 107, and at least a portion of the photosintered device 102 is captured within the field of view 114 of the camera 112. .. The photosintering application 108 can determine the location of the photosintering device 102 with respect to the grid 130, as captured in image 134, based on the position of the photosintering device 102 with respect to the sintered region 107. The position data 134 derived from the real-time image 134 can be used in combination with the proximity data from the proximity sensor 103 to determine the distance between the optical sintering device 102 and the surface of the sintered region 107. ..

In some implementations, the partial region exposure determinant 118 can access a database of painted circuit data 136. The painted circuit data 136 includes fabrication and structural information relating to the painted circuit, such as layer composition, layer thickness, laminated structure, and the like. The painted circuit data 136 relates to a plurality of different painted circuits, such as solar painted circuits, battery painted circuits, light emitting diode painted circuits, and the like. And can include structural information. Each painted circuit in the painted circuit data 136 contains a specific paint, including step-by-step instructions such as painting each layer of the painted circuit, annealing and / or sintering each layer of the painted circuit. Each can include information for making the circuit. More detailed information regarding the fabrication of the painted circuit is included with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 below.

The partial region exposure determinant 118 can generate partial sintering energy for each partial region 132 of the sintering region 107 as an output. The partial sintering energy for each partial region 132 is generated in part based on the position data 134 of the optical sintering device 102, the grid 130 including the plurality of partial regions 132, and the sintering requirements for each partial region of the sintering region 107. obtain. The sintering requirements for each subregion of the sintered region 107 are layers of the subregion of the sintered region 107 in order to achieve a set of desired properties, such as electrical, structural, or similar. Includes the cumulative amount of energy required to sinter. Sintering requirements also include the minimum threshold amount of energy required to guide the sintering process in the layers of the subregion. In other words, the kinetic energy of the painted layer of the partial region, eg, the amount of energy required to raise the temperature, so that the nanoparticles of the painted layer of the partial region undergo the process of densification and grain growth. In some implementations, the minimum energy threshold is the amount of energy well in excess of the energy required to overcome the enthalpy of solid formation for a particular layer.

The partial region exposure determinant 118 can determine the dimensions of the partial region 132, for example the rectangular area, based in part on the grid 130 provided on the sintered region 107. The position data 134 of the photosintered device is the distance from the surface of the sintered region 107 to the photosintered device 102, which is due to the energy density on the surface of the sintered region 107 with respect to exposure, eg, by the photosintered device 102. It can be used to determine the exposure energy delivered to the exposure region 141, which, for example, sinters the partial region 132 based in part on the relative size of the exposure region 141 and the area of the partial region 132. It can be used by the partial region exposure determinant 118 to determine the number of exposures of the photosintering device 102 required to do so.

In some implementations, the partial region exposure determinant 118 can determine the cumulative sintering energy for the sintered region 107 based in part on the composition data of the sintered region 107. Cumulative sintering energy sinters one or more painted layers of sintered region 107 to achieve a set of desired properties, such as electrical, structural, or similar. Corresponds to the amount of energy required for For example, cumulative sintering energy is required to sinter one or more painted layers to achieve the minimum size particle size within the painted layer and the minimum conductivity of the painted layer. It may correspond to the amount of energy. The partial region exposure determinant 118 uses the cumulative sintering energy of the sintered area 107 to use, for example, a specific portion of the sintered area 107 based on the relative area of the partial region 132 compared to the area of the sintered area 107. The partial sintering energy for the region 132 can be determined.

In some implementations, each subregion 132 of the grid 130 has, for example, a high energy light source of the photosintering device 102 that has the cumulative amount of energy required to sinter the subregion to achieve the desired properties. Multiple exposures are required if the maximum energy output of is exceeded. Further details relating to the partial region exposure determinant 118 are shown below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

The exposure instruction generator 120 receives, as input, an exposure request for each partial region 132 of the sintered region 107, including partial sintering energy for the partial region 132, the dimensions of the partial region 132, and the location of the partial region 132. The exposure instruction generator 120 produces instructions for the photosintering device 102 as outputs, including exposure energy, exposure time, exposure triggers, and the like.

In some implementations, the exposure instruction generator 120 positions the light-sintered device 102 so that the exposure beam 128 of the light-sintered device 102 is oriented in the correct location and orientation with respect to a particular exposure region 141. Instructions for guiding the user are provided to the user of the user device 104 through the application environment 110.

In some implementations, the instructions provided to the user of the user device 104 through the application environment 110 may include an alignment queue 142 within the application environment 110. The alignment queue 142 includes orientations such as tilt / tilt, rotation, etc., and positions such as left / right, up / down, which are visual-based, text-based, and / or audio-based. In one example, the alignment queue 140 is as shown in FIG. 1, and the relative motion of the overlapping circles 144 is whether the photosintering device 102 is horizontal to the surface of the sintered region 107. You can tell me what to do. In another example, the alignment queue 140 may be a text queue that says "bring the light-sintered device closer to the light-sintered region." In yet another example, the alignment queue 140 may be a voice-based queue and may be delivered, for example, through the internal speaker of the user device 104. Voice-based cues have spoken dialogue, such as "move the light-sintered device to your left," or non-interactive-based cues, such as the light-sintered device, are properly aligned and have higher frequencies. It may be a series of beep sounds.

In some embodiments, the instructions provided to the user of the user device 104 through the application environment 110 are, for example, arrows in a panning operation, overlapping targets, or the like for the user to adjust the position of the photosintering device 102. It may include a panoramic view or a wide-angle scan view of the sintered region 107 including the alignment queue 142 of.

Although described as a photo-sintering system 101 including a user device 104 and a photo-sintering device 102 whose position is controlled by, for example, a user holding each device in the hand with respect to FIG. 1, the photo-sintering system 101 Other implementations are possible.

For example, the photosintering system 101 may be deployed in a factory environment, for example, as part of a roll-to-roll manufacturing process. In the roll-to-roll manufacturing process, the roll of material to be sintered using the photosintering system 101 may first be divided into main area units of width and length, where the width is the roll of material. Depending on the width of, the length can be determined by a number of photosintering devices 102 deployed within the photosintering system. The main area unit can be defined as the sintered region 107 as described above, which is then divided into a plurality of subregions 132 using the grid 130.

In some implementations, the photosintering system comprises a plurality of photosintering devices 102 that can be controlled using a photosintering application on a single or multiple user devices. The user device may additionally be a computer or other processing device, and the camera 112 may be an external camera that communicates data with the user device 104.

In some embodiments, indicating position information, eg, the position of the photosintering device 102 relative to the surface of a particular subregion 132, controls the relative position of the photosintering device 102 with respect to the particular subregion 132. The automatic control device includes, for example, using a servomotor and a mechanical rail system to transmit instructions that change the orientation of the photosintered device 102 with respect to a particular subregion 132. In one example, the automated device is part of a computer controlled automatic positioning and alignment system.

In some embodiments, indicating location information, eg, the position of the photosintering device 102 with respect to the surface of a particular subregion 132, is a plurality of atomizers, dryers, and photosintering devices, eg, a plurality. Each includes transmitting instructions to an automated control device that controls the operation of a reel-to-reel fabrication system, including flash lamps or multiple reel-to-reel subsystems for each painted layer of painted circuit. Reel-to-reel subsystems include their respective photosintering devices.

Operation Example of Optical Sintering Device FIG. 2 is a block diagram 200 of an exemplary grid 202 applied to the sintered region 204. The grid 202 divides the sintered region 204 into a plurality of subregions 206. In one example, the grid 202 divides the sintered region 204 into grids with 1 mm resolution, and each partial region 206 has dimensions of 1 mm × 1 mm. In some implementations, the exposure region 208 of the exposure beam of the photosintering device can have a dispersed beam profile, such as a Gaussian distribution or the like. The dispersed beam profile can have a non-uniform beam intensity whose intensity decreases with distance from the center point of the exposed area 208. The non-uniform beam intensity results in a region of high energy exposure and a region of low energy exposure, eg, at the edge of the exposed region 208, for each exposure of the light sintered device on the sintered region 202. Can occur. In one example, as shown in FIG. 2, the exposure region 208 comprises a high energy exposure region 210 that overlaps the partial region 207 and a plurality of other partial regions, such as the overlapping partial regions 209a, 209b. Includes a low energy exposure region 212 that overlaps 209c.

The photosintering application 108 tracks the energy exposure for each partial region 206, including the low energy exposure 212 due to the overlap between the exposure region 208 and the adjacent partial regions 209a, 209b, 209c. The cumulative amount of energy exposure in a partial region can be calculated. To determine the total amount of exposure in each subregion, in the overlap determined to exceed the minimum threshold of energy required to induce the sintering process in the exposed regions, eg, 209a, 209b, 209c. Due to the lower energy exposure 212 is tracked.

Tracking the amount of energy exposure to each subregion by the photosintering application 108 uses the location of the exposure area 208 with respect to the grid 202 of the subregion 206 for each exposure to the specific subregion 207 to be exposed. It can include recording the amount of energy exposure received by each partial region 206, including the partial regions 206 that are adjacent and therefore receive overlap exposures 209a, 209b, 209c.

The light sintering application 108 can track the amount and profile of sintering energy applied over the partial region 207, such as the length of exposure time, minimum exposure energy, maximum exposure energy, cumulative exposure energy, and the like. The light sintering application 108 can record the exposure amount and the exposure location (for example, full exposure or partial exposure of the region of the partial region 206) with respect to the partial region 207 for each partial region. The cumulative amount of energy exposure in each subregion can be added over multiple exposures in the sintering process.

_{Σ ((E i -E 0)} * n)> (ΔH N -ΔH S) (1)

Here, E _i is the energy of exposure, E ₀ is the minimum threshold energy required to induce the sintering process, n is the number of flashes, and ΔH _N is the painted initial nanoparticles of the partial region. and enthalpy of the layer, [Delta] H _S is the enthalpy of fully densified painted layer of partial regions having a total molecules of the same number.

In some cases, the particular partial region 206 is not exposed at all exposures, for example, the edge partial region on one edge of the sintered area 204 is another on the opposite edge of the sintered area 204. When the edge part area of is exposed, it is not exposed. In some cases, a particular subregion 206 may receive lower energy exposure over part or all of the subregion 206, and lower energy exposures are sintered such that lower energy exposures can be ignored. It is less than the minimum threshold amount of energy required to induce the process. For example, certain parts region may have a minimum threshold required energy amount of 140 J / mm ^2, with respect to the cumulative amount of exposure energy for a particular subregion of 310J / mm ^2, 3 in total in the sintering process for exposure times, good as subject to the following ^{20J / mm 2, 150J / mm} 2, and 160 J / mm ^2.

In some situations, the amount of exposure energy required to sinter a particular subregion to achieve a set of desirable properties, eg, a particular material composition of a paint layer, is the flash of a photosintering device. Exceeds the energy output of. In these situations, the partial region exposure determinant 118 may require multiple exposures, eg, two exposures, by the light sintering device 102 of the partial region 132 to sinter the partial region 132. Can be determined. For example, the threshold amount of energy for sintering a particular partial region is 70 J / mm ² , and the exposure energy required to achieve the desired grain growth and densification of the painted layer within the partial region. The quantity may be ^{a cumulative energy amount of 150 J / mm 2} , and the energy output of the photosintered device at a particular distance from the surface of the partial region is 75 J / mm ² . In this example, two exposures, for example two flashes of a flash lamp or two pulses of a high energy LED, are required to sinter the partial region.

A set of desirable properties, such as the amount of grain growth and densification and / or a specific amount of cumulative exposure energy that sinters the partial region 132 to achieve electrical properties, is provided by the photosintering device. It may be less than a single exposure energy, for example, less energy provided by a particular light intensity output of a light-sintered device lamp when the light-sintered device is placed at a particular distance from the surface of a subregion. In some embodiments, beam attenuation through the use of filters, such as dimming filters, can be used to reduce energy output and achieve adequate exposure. The energy output can, in addition, be reduced by increasing the distance between the photosintered device and the surface of the subregion, thereby reducing the intensity of the beam on the surface of the subregion. Alternatively, or in addition, the pulse or duration or beam intensity of the exposure can be reduced to reduce the amount of total light sintering energy applied to the partial region.

In some implementations, the exposure energy on the surface of the partial region 132 is attenuated by moving the photosintered device further away from the surface of the partial region. Adjusting the distance between the photosintered device and the surface of the subregion can result in additional overlap exposure of adjacent subregions, such as 209a, 209b, 209c. The addition of overlap exposure energy can result in a recalculation of the number and / or energy of each exposure for each of the adjacent subregions affected by the overlap exposure. In some cases, the recalculation can take into account the lower energy exposure of a particular adjacent subregion due to overlapping exposures by reducing the number of exposures centered on that particular adjacent subregion, and more. Low energy exposure exceeds the minimum threshold of energy required to sinter adjacent subregions. ^{For example, adjacent subregions receive an overlap exposure energy of 15 J / mm 2} , which is greater than the minimum threshold of energy required to sinter the adjacent subregions of 10 J / mm ² , and the material of the adjacent subregions. A cumulative amount of exposure energy of ^{100 J / mm 2} is required to sinter to form a sufficiently electrically and structurally continuous layer. Exposure sintering energy 85 J / mm ^2, the exposure area 208 of the exposure sintering energy 85 J / mm ² is located at the center of the adjacent partial regions, for example, is aligned over the center point of adjacent partial regions Determined for adjacent subregions.

In some embodiments, the photosintering application 108 performs an iterative process of optimizing the exposure sequence by the photosintering device 102 over multiple subregions 206 of the sintered region 202, thereby throughout the exposure sequence. It delivers the partial exposure energy required to sinter each partial region 202. The optimization of the exposure sequence can be performed, for example, using a simulation environment before starting the sintering process.

In some implementations, the exposure sequence consisting of multiple exposures for sintering each subregion of a plurality of subregions is different for each subregion of the plurality of subregions. For example, the first of the plurality of partial regions of the sintered region 204 located at the center of the sintered region 204 can be exposed twice with an intensity of ^{60 J / mm 2.} Adjacent subregions that have undergone a certain amount of overlap exposure over a portion of the subregion have a minimum threshold for sintering the subregion over a portion of the subregion that avoids the previously exposed overlap region. You will receive one exposure with a light intensity of 60 J / mm ² and one exposure with a ^{lower light intensity of 30 J / mm 2} , which is still above the quantity, eg, 15 J / mm ^2. The photosintering application 108 can utilize the TensorFlow scheme to perform partial region exposure optimization, as described in more detail with reference to FIG. 3 below.

In some embodiments, the light source pulse is a layer of the sintered region for the photosintering application 108 to determine the rate of dissipation or thermal diffusion of the pulse supplied to the sintered region 107 by the photosintering device. Long enough, for example, in excess of a few microseconds, to track the thermal conductivity of the light. For example, in the case of a high energy light source operating in continuous mode or near continuous mode, the photosintering application 108 is within the layer of the sintering region to calculate the cumulative amount of sintering energy delivered to the sintering region 107. Additional tracking and consideration of the rate of heat energy dissipation.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process 300 for a photosintering system. An image of the sintered region 302 is acquired (302). The image 124 of the sintered region 107 may be captured by the user of the user device 104, for example, by the camera 112 of the user device 104. In some implementations, the photosintering application 108 can provide guidance to the user through the application environment 110 for capturing the image 124 of the sintered region 107. For example, the application environment 110 may include an outline and / or an alignment mark indicating how the user should position the camera 112 to capture the sintered region 107 in the image 124.

In some implementations, the dimensions 126 of the sintered region 107, eg, the length L and width W of the sintered region 107, are given by the user. The user may specify a unit of dimension, such as inches, centimeters, and so on. The photosintering application 108 may inquire the user to enter one or more dimensions 126 through the application environment 110, which in response to the upload of the image 124 in the sintered region 107.

A grid of sintered regions is generated, which includes a plurality of partial regions relative to the sintered region, each of which is defined by length and width as well as their respective position within the sintered region (304). The grid generator 116 can generate the grid 130 using the photosintered data 122 that includes the image 124 of the sintered region 107 and the dimensions 126. In some implementations, each subregion 132 of the plurality of subregions of the grid has the same subregion dimensions 127, such as W'and L'.

In some implementations, the characteristics of the sintered region can be determined from image 124 and can be used as an alignment point for the grid 130. Sintered area features are, for example, non-uniformity of one or more paint layers in a painted circuit, alignment marks on the foil bottom contact layer of a painted circuit, painted to be used as alignment points. Alignment marks made by the user can be included on the layer. The photosintering application 108 can determine a plurality of features within the sintered region and use those features to determine the relative location of each subregion 132 of the plurality of subregions of the grid 130. For example, a particular subregion can be determined to have features, eg, surface roughness, in the upper left corner of the particular subregion. The photosintering system 108 can utilize the identified surface roughness to determine the position of a particular partial region 132 within the grid 130. In another example, the feature is a hash mark that can be used as an alignment point by the photosintering system 108 to identify the location of a partial region 132 of the grid 130.

In some implementations, composition data for each subregion of the plurality of subregions is obtained, and the composition data is the dimensions 127 of the subregions, eg W'and L', one or more paints of the subregion 132. It can include the layer thickness of the layers and the material composition of one or more painted layers of the subregion 132. In one example, adjacent sub-regions within the sintered region 107 can have different composition data, the first sub-region can have a first set of dimensions 127, the first sub-region. The second subregion adjacent to can have a second set of dimensions 127. In another example, the different composition data between two adjacent subregions may be the difference between one or more painted layers of each subregion, eg, the first subregion is composition X. The second subregion contains three painted layers of composition X and one painted layer of composition Y.

For each particular subregion of the plurality of subregions, the photosintering system has each subsintering energy for each particular subregion until an optimized set of exposures for the sintering process is reached. The process (308) in which is determined is repeated (306). The partial sintering energy for the partial region 132 is partly the composition data of the partial region, eg, the material composition of one or more painted layers in the partial region, one or more painted in the partial region. It can depend on the width and length of the layers and / or the layer thickness of one or more painted layers within a subregion.

The partial sintering energy for the partial region 132 is the energy required to sinter one or more layers of the partial region. Partial sintering energy is used, for example, by annealing one or more layers of a partial region to promote densification and grain growth with the lowest possible surface energy in order to achieve a set of properties. The amount of energy required to transform the chemical structure of an electronically independent thin film of nanoparticles into an amorphous solid. In one example, the partial region 132 comprises a layer of copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles and the partial sintering energy for the partial region 132 sinters the CuO nanoparticles to form an electrically and / or physically complete layer. Corresponds to the photosintering energy required to form. In another example, the partial region 132 is a layer of CuO nanoparticles, a layer of titanium dioxide (TiO ₂ ) nanoparticles, a layer of photosensitizing dye compounds, aluminum zinc oxide (AZO) nanoparticles or indium tin oxide ( It contains multiple layers, including layers of ITO) nanoparticles, and partial sintering energy for partial region 132 is required to sinter these layers to form electrical and / or physically complete layers, respectively. Corresponds to various photo-sintering energy.

In some implementations, the partial sintering energy for the partial region 132 can be determined based on the paint circuit data 136 from the database. The user can provide information related to a particular painted circuit, including one or more painted layers in the painted circuit, and the photosintering system 108 is a painted circuit database 136. Can be used to determine the partial sintering energy for the partial region 132. For example, the user can indicate that the sintered region 107 is a painted circuit containing a layer of _{titanium dioxide (TiO 2) nanoparticles.} Based on the layer composition provided, the photosintering system 108 uses the painted circuit data 136 from the database to _{sinter the TiO 2} nanoparticles to form electrically contiguous TiO ₂ layers. The specific cumulative exposure energy required for this can be determined.

Instructions are provided on how to position the photosintering device 102 with respect to a particular subregion 132 (310). The location information indication may be presented to the user via a display in the application environment 110 on the user device 104. The instructions may be, for example, the alignment queue 140 as described above with reference to FIG.

In some implementations, the alignment queue 140 may include outlining, highlighting, or some other form of visual indication of the particular subregion 132 to be sintered. .. An arrow or other turn signal means to image 124 showing the current view of the sintered region 107 within the application environment 110 to guide the user to position the photosintered device 102 with respect to a particular partial region. Can be shown again.

Current location information for the photosintered device is available (312). The position data 134 can include alignment and orientation information from the proximity sensor 103 on the photosintering device 102. In one example, the current location information for the photosintered device is the location of the light-sintered device 102 relative to one or more edges of the sintered region 107, the distance from the surface of the sintered region 107 to the photosintered device 102, and so on. Includes tilt / tilt of the photosintering device 102 with respect to the surface of the sintering region 107. In another example, the current position information of the light-sintered device 102 is a real-time image 134 of the sintered region 107 captured by the camera 112 that includes at least a portion of the light-sintered device 102 within the field of view 114 of the camera 112. include. In yet another example, the current location information of the photosintering device 102 includes capturing one or more images of the sintered region 107 containing one or more painted layers on the substrate. ..

The photosintering system 108 determines that the current location information indicates that the photosintering device is positioned with respect to a particular subregion according to instructions indicating how to position the photosintering device. (314). Based on the position data 134 and the grid 130, the photosintering system 108 can determine that the photosintering device 102 is in the correct position to expose a particular partial region 132. In one embodiment, determining that the current position information indicates that the photosintered device is positioned relative to a particular subregion 132 according to the instructions is from the proximity sensor 103 on the photosintered device 102. It involves determining that the photosintering device 102 is parallel to a particular subregion 132 based on proximity data.

In some implementations, an iterative process may be performed until the current position information with respect to the photosintering device 102 is obtained and the photosintering device 102 is determined to be in the correct position. Subsequent instructions indicating how to position the photosintering device 102 are provided in response to current location information.

The exposure sintering energy for a particular partial region is determined in part based on the difference between the partial sintering energy for the particular partial region and the cumulative amount of sintering energy previously applied to the particular partial region. (316). As described above with reference to FIG. 2, certain subregions are partially due to overlap exposure (eg, overlap 209a) due to exposure of adjacent subregions (eg, subregion 207). Or it can be completely exposed. In the photosintering system 108, for example, a partial region requires multiple exposures to sinter the material of the partial region, and each exposure exceeds the minimum threshold exposure energy to trigger a sintering process on the partial region. In addition, it is possible to determine the cumulative amount of sintering energy previously applied to a particular partial region by overlapping exposures from adjacent partial regions, as well as previous exposures of the particular partial region. For example, the partial sintering energy for the partial region 132 is 150 J / mm ² , the cumulative amount of previously irradiated sintered energy is 100 J / mm ² , and the minimum threshold energy is 60 J / mm ² . Thus, exposure sintering energy, in order to reach a cumulative amount of at least sintering energy exceeds a minimum threshold energy of 60 J / mm ^2, a 60 J / mm ² with respect to the exposure.

Exposure of the exposure sintering energy to a specific partial region is initiated according to instructions on how to position the photosintering device (318). A trigger signal after the photosintering device 102 is determined to be in the indicated position, eg, within a certain distance of the surface of the partial region and oriented parallel to the surface of the partial region. Is transmitted to the photosintering device 102 by the photosintering application 108. The trigger signal can send a command to the photosintering device to expose the partial region 132. The exposure of a partial region can be, for example, a flash of a flash lamp light source, or a pulse of a light source for a specific duration, depending on the exposure sintering energy.

In an embodiment in which the photosintering system 101 comprises a plurality of photosintering devices 102, the plurality of photosintering devices 102 may be initiated simultaneously or sequentially, as described above in embodiments in a factory environment. ..

In some implementations, the trigger signal is generated by the photosintering system 108 when the system determines that the photosintering device 102 is correctly positioned. For example, the photosintering device 102 can automatically expose a partial area after the device is properly positioned.

In some embodiments, the trigger signal may be manually generated by the user of the user device 104 or may request user feedback through the application environment 110 of the photosintering application 108. For example, if the user of the user device 104 is operating in the "expert" or "manual control" mode of the photosintering system 101, the user sends a trigger signal to the light-sintering device 103 to expose the partial region 132. Can be provided manually.

In some implementations, a base unit region is determined for a particular set of dimensions 126, eg, a sintered region 107 having a base unit width and base unit length. The region to be sintered, eg, the region for the roll-to-roll process, can be larger than the SI base unit so that there are multiple sintered regions 107 processed by the photosintering system 101. In one example, a large area painted circuit having dimensions that exceed the basic unit dimensions is processed by the photosintering system 101. The large area painted circuit is divided into two or more basic units, each basic unit being sintered according to the sintering process defined in FIG. 3 above. The large area painted circuit does not have to be evenly divided into basic units, which may be processed by the photosintering system 101 using specific dimensions 126 of the partial basic unit area.

In some implementations, the process described with reference to FIG. 3 is a subprocess of a plurality of other subprocesses for making a paint circuit. As described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the photosintering process of FIG. 3 is a fabrication process for producing a painted circuit that includes a sintering process, eg, a painted sun. It can be incorporated into the fabrication process for fabrication of batteries.

In one embodiment, the system allows the user of the user device 104 to layer various aspects of the light sintering system, such as triggering the light sintering device 102, determining the exposure value of the partial sintering energy, and the sintering region 107. It can operate in "expert mode" or "debug" mode, which allows you to specify the structure, or control something similar manually. In one example, the user of the user device 104 can provide the exposure data 138 to the partial region exposure determinant 118. User-provided exposure data 138 can include exposure energy information, such as the amount of energy required to sinter the photosintered region, layer information for the sintered region 107, and the like.

An Illustrative Process for Producing a Solar Paint Formulation A solar paint circuit including the solar paint circuit 500 described below with reference to FIG. 5 comprises a plurality of layers of solar paint. Solar paints are different electrical (eg, resistant / conductive), reactive (eg, photoreactive), dielectric (eg, voltage breakdown), and physical to a particular solar paint layer. It can include various formulations selected to provide the desired properties (eg, viscosity). In some embodiments, the paint formulation is aqueous and comprises water, a solvent (eg, ethanol), and / or an emulsifier.

In some embodiments, the paint formulation comprises nanoparticles (eg, metal or semiconductor nanoparticles) dispersed in a solution (eg, ethanol, deionized water, and surfactant).

Implementations of solar paint include conductive paints (eg, n-type electron conductive paint layers and p-type hole conductive paint layers). The conductive paint can be an aqueous composition comprising one or more conductive or semiconductor nanomaterials (eg, metal nanoparticles or semiconductor nanoparticles) dispersed in a solution. Examples of suitable nanomaterials include aluminum-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles, copper oxide nanoparticles, and carbon-based nanomaterials (eg, carbon nanotubes). Examples of suitable solutions include deionized water with a dispersion medium (eg, benzenesulfonic acid or sodium dodecyl sulfate) and denatured alcohols (eg, denatured ethanol). In some implementations, conductive nanomaterials (eg, nanoparticles) are selected based in part on the transparency of the resulting conductive paint containing the conductive nanomaterials. In addition, to prevent agglomeration, minimize the surface energy of the dispersed nanoparticles, help disperse the nanoparticles, and improve transparency, in conductive paints containing conductive nanomaterials, anti-glue agents (eg, lauryl). Sodium lauryl dodecasulfide or basic salts such as sodium carbonate or potassium carbonate) can be added.

In some embodiments, the conductive paint is processed in an ultrasonic bath to crush the massive nanomaterials and filtered to completely disperse the nanomaterials in the conductive paint (eg, through a microfiber cloth). .. In some implementations, the conductive paint may be dispersed using ball milling and / or high shear mixing. In some implementations, a sol-gel process may be used to prepare and apply conductive paint, for example, the sol-gel process can be used at least on the outer transparent conductive layer.

Illustrative Process for Producing a Solar Paint Circuit FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process 400 for painting a solar paint circuit. In general, as shown in the flow diagram of FIG. 4, a solar paint circuit (eg, solar paint circuit 500) can be made according to process 400. At 402, a substrate is provided. The substrate may include metal, wood, gypsum, cloth, or the like. The substrate can further include a wire mesh or foil attached to the basic structural material to provide conductivity. In 404, one or more paint layers are applied to the surface of the substrate, and each paint layer contains a conductive paint compounding agent. In some implementations, each applied paint layer is dried prior to subsequent application of the layer. In some implementations, each applied paint layer may comprise a compounding agent having one or more solvents that is evaporated prior to subsequent application of the layer.

The conductive paint layer applied using the conductive paint compounding agent has a resistance partially determined by the resistivity of the conductive material contained in the conductive paint compounding agent. For example, a conductive paint layer applied using a conductive paint formulation containing a first conductive material with a higher resistivity (eg, a conductive nanomaterial) will have a second different with a lower resistivity. It provides a higher resistance than a conductive paint layer applied using a conductive paint formulation containing a conductive material.

In some implementations, multiple coatings of the same conductive paint formulation may be applied to form a layer of the desired thickness, which desired thickness is greater than the thickness of a single applied layer. Is also big. Each coating of the same conductive paint can be dried prior to applying subsequent layers.

In some implementations, one or more dimensions of the substrate (eg, aluminum foil) are to maximize charge mobility and / or facilitate the manufacture of solar paint circuits (eg, to facilitate the manufacture of solar paint circuits). , Roll-to-roll processing) is selected. The paint layer improves the adhesion of the paint to the substrate, maximizes the number of charge carriers available on the substrate surface, and / or increases the surface area of the substrate in contact with the applied paint layer. , Can be applied to the roughened surface of aluminum foil. In one example, the substrate is a thin strip of aluminum foil.

In some implementations, one or more dimensions of the substrate (eg, aluminum foil) are selected to optimize cost perpower output for solar paint circuit (eg, solar cell) efficiency. The phrase "optimization" is used here to refer to a particular scenario in which cost-per-power output is minimized, while other "optimization" scenarios have the desired outcome (eg, low environmental impact, etc.). It may be possible depending on the availability of the material, the minimum manufacturing steps, etc.). Therefore, the use of "optimization," "optimization," or other similar wording as used herein does not refer to a single optimal result.

In an example of a solar cell design that is optimized for cost-per-power output and optimized for the selected length of the solar cell (eg, based on the dimensions of the manufacturing process or installation location), the solar cell. The width of can be determined using the following procedure. In this example, solar cells manufactured to these specifications are assumed to be used in consistent ambient conditions (eg, the normal amount of absorbable light energy and the spectral distribution of light energy). In addition, the main source of shunt resistance is the transparent external conductive layer of the solar cell (for example, n-type electron conductive layer), for example, the electrode connecting the solar cell to the external circuit is highly conductive. is assumed.

The width-independent photoconversion efficiency is consistent along the length of the solar cell and is parallel to the top shunt electrode for the solar cell, including electrical contact with the top shunt electrode located on one side of the solar cell. It can be determined by covering the solar cell with an opaque barrier and measuring the power output per unit exposure surface area of the solar cell. _{The power output per unit surface area is divided by the input energy (I in} ) of the unit of power per surface area (eg, wattage per square meter) to obtain solar cell efficiency. The width-independent photoconversion efficiency (e) can be determined for multiple solar cells, each with a different width, using simple linear regression (eg, e _total = e _wi- we _loss ) for linear regression. y intercept can determine the power loss per unit width (w) so that the light conversion efficiency not dependent on the width of the solar cell (ew _i).

The selected length of the solar cell (eg, selected based on the dimensions of the manufacturing process or installation site), the known cost per unit area ( _area ), and the known per unit area of the electrode. For cost ( _select ), the solar cell width for optimizing the cost per power output of the solar cell ( _Power ) is determined by the ratio of the solar cell cost (C _cell ) to the solar cell output (I _out). obtain.

C _cell (w) = wlc _area + lc _electrode (1)

I _out (w) = I _in will _wi- I _in we _loss (2)

The derivative of C _cell (w) and I _out (w) can be obtained.

C _cell '(w) = lc _area (5)

I _out '(w) = I _in le _wi- I _in e _loss (6)

C _power '(w) can be algebraically solved for a positive real value of _{C power} '(w) = 0 by substituting a known value for the constant to find the optimum solar cell width. ..

In step 406, one or more of the painted layers are sintered. The sintering process involves a layer in which nanoparticles from one or more paint layers are aggregated and electrically contiguous (eg, as measured by a four-point probe or other resistance measurement), and / or structurally. It is described above with reference to a photosintering system, such as the photosintering system 101 and FIG. 3, until a continuous layer (eg, as measured by ellipsometry or other optical inspection). It may include heating one or more paint layers using such a process. Other sintering processes can include, for example, utilizing a furnace, rapid heat treatment 1) system, or other heating source for a period of time. The range of combinations of sintering energy, temperature, and / or duration for the sintering process is appropriate for forming electrically continuous layers and the type of sintering process used (eg, tools or systems). ) Can be partially dependent. In some implementations, the selected photosintering energy and duration of the sintering process for one or more layers is a cost consideration, equipment limitation, and / or for other paint layers in the solar paint circuit. Depends on design restrictions (eg thermal budget).

In some implementations, the photosintering application 108 provides an application environment 110 for the user of the user device 104 to create a solar paint circuit, eg, a solar paint circuit described below with reference to FIG. Includes a step-by-step process through. The application environment follows the fabrication process for a particular painted circuit, for example, how to paint each paint layer of one or more paint layers onto a substrate using the painted circuit database 136, and 1 Guidance can be provided to the user on how to sinter one or more paint layers. For example, a step-by-step process involves applying one or more paint layers, such as how to place and configure a substrate, eg, a conductive foil, how to clean and / or prepare the substrate, until the painted circuit is complete. However, it can include instructions on, for example, how to form the bottom conductive layer, how to sinter one or more paint layers using a photosintering system, and so on.

Illustrative Solar Paint Circuit FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary solar paint circuit 500. The solar paint circuit 500 includes a base material 502, a p-type hole conductive paint layer 504, a photosensitizing paint layer 506, an n-type electron conductive paint layer 508, and a transparent protective paint layer 510. In some embodiments, the solar paint circuit 500 is a solar cell. A solar cell is an electrical device that converts the energy of light (eg, sunlight) into electricity. Light (eg, sunlight) is absorbed by the photosensitizer paint layer 514, resulting in electron and hole charge generation. The generated charge is then separated, the electrons move towards the cathode and the holes move towards the anode, each generating electricity.

The p-type hole conductive paint layer 504 coats at least a portion of the substrate 502 (eg, a surface made of wood, metal, plaster, stone, brick, or other paintable material) with the p-type hole conductive paint. Can be formed by doing. In some implementations, the p-type hole conductive paint layer 504 forms the anode of the solar paint circuit 500. The p-type hole conductive paint layer 504 can be formed by an aqueous paint composition containing p-type nanomaterials dispersed in a solution. The p-type nanomaterials of the p-type hole conductive paint layer 504, such as nanoparticles, are sintered using, for example, a photosintering device 101, and are electrically and / or physically continuous p-type hole conductive paint. Layer 504 can be formed.

The photosensitizer paint layer 506 can absorb photons and forms a layer in which charge generation occurs in the solar paint circuit 500. The photosensitized paint layer 506 can be formed from a paint composition containing electron acceptors, dyes, and solutions. The photosensitizer paint layer 506 is shown as a single functional layer in the solar paint circuit 500, which includes two layers including a semiconductor paint layer having an electron acceptor material and a photosensitizer dye paint layer. Or it can be formed by applying different paint layers or more.

An n-type electron conductive paint layer 508 is applied on the photosensitizer paint layer 506. In some implementations, the n-type electron conductive paint layer 508 forms the cathode of the solar paint circuit 500. The n-type electron conductive paint layer 508 can be formed by an aqueous paint composition containing n-type nanomaterials dispersed in a solution. The n-type electron conductive paint layer 508 can be transparent or translucent so that light can reach the underlying photosensitizer paint layer 106. The n-type nanomaterials of the n-type electron conductive paint layer 508, for example, nanoparticles, are sintered using, for example, a photosintering device 101, and the n-type electron conductive paint layer 508 that is electrically and / or physically continuous. Can be formed. In some implementations, a conductive mesh (eg, wire mesh) is used as the cathode layer for the solar paint circuit 500 rather than the n-type electron conductive paint layer 508.

The transparent protective paint layer 510 is applied to the n-type electron conductive paint layer 508. The transparent protective paint layer 510 may be a transparent protective coating and can be electrically insulated (eg, laminate, polyurethane finish, shellac). In some embodiments, the transparent protective paint layer 510 seals part or all of the exposed surface of the solar paint circuit 500. The transparent protective paint layer 510 forms a protective layer that covers a part or all of the solar paint circuit 500, and protects the paint layer of the solar paint circuit 500 from environmental influences (for example, ultraviolet radiation, weather, water / humidity). In some embodiments, the transparent protective paint layer 510 is translucent and / or transmits only certain wavelength ranges (eg, transmits visible wavelengths). In some implementations, the transparent protective paint layer 510 is omitted, depending on some applications and / or environmental factors (eg, levels of exposure to wind and rain, etc.). When the transparent protective paint layer 510 is omitted, the n-type electron conductive paint layer 508 can function as a conductive protective layer (for example, indium tin oxide).

In the solar paint circuit 500, electron-hole pairs are formed in the photosensitizing paint layer 506, and charge separation occurs between the p-type hole conductive paint layer 504 and the n-type electron conductive paint layer 508. It operates so as to absorb photons from the surrounding environment (for example, the sun's rays) in the photosensitizing paint layer 506.

In some implementations, the charge separated from the solar paint circuit 500 is then used to charge the battery (eg, trickle charge). The solar paint circuit 500 can generate photovoltaic light (for example, a photovoltaic street lamp) in combination with other circuit elements. For example, the solar paint circuit 500 may be a combination of a solar cell and a light emitting circuit, and the solar paint circuit 500 can be used to generate electricity from sunlight to charge the solar cell (for example, trickle charge). , This can be used to power the light emitting circuit. The fed light emitting circuit can then emit light in a specific range of wavelengths (eg, visible light).

In some implementations, the electrical contacts 512 may be included in the solar paint circuit 500. The electrical contacts are first contacts (eg, metal foil, metal mesh, cold welded bonding compounds, solder balls, alligator clips, or the like) attached to the n-type electroconductive paint layer 508 or substrate 502. ) Can be included. A second electrical contact (eg, metal foil, metal mesh, cold welded bonding compound, solder ball, alligator clip, or the like) can be attached to the p-type hole conductive paint layer 504. The electrical contacts can be used to connect the solar paint circuit 500 to an external device (eg, a mobile phone, computer, or other battery-powered device). The electrical contacts 512 also connect the solar paint circuit 500 to another solar cell circuit, eg, a set of solar cell painted circuits daisy-chained to a user device (eg, a mobile phone or computer). It can be used to power and / or charge, or to increase the throughput of charging solar cells.

Although this specification contains details of many specific implementations, these should not be construed as restrictions on the scope of features or claims, but rather the painted circuits and described. It should be interpreted as an explanation of the characteristics specific to a particular embodiment of the painted circuit element. Examples of painted circuits and painted circuit elements are described herein as having a particular layered structure, but they should not be read as limiting. For example, painted circuits and painted circuit elements are described to operate in a "top-down" fashion, where the device is painted layer by layer so that the top layer is the top of the device. The processes are shown in the drawings in a particular order, but such processes need to be performed in the particular order shown or in order to achieve the desired result, or all illustrated. It should not be understood that the process in which it is running needs to be performed. For example, examples of painted circuits and painted circuit elements may also be painted in a "bottom-up" fashion, where the functionality of the device is superior to its fabrication sequence. In addition, a "flip chip" configuration in which the two substrates are individually painted with a paint layer and then combined can be conceivable.

Other complex painted circuit elements can be made using the techniques and compositions described herein. For example, a painted antenna element. In addition, an active matrix of multiple smaller subelements (eg, embedded painted circuit elements) can be made using the techniques and compositions described herein.

Thus, a particular embodiment of the subject was described. Other embodiments fall within the scope of the following claims. In some cases, the operations described in the claims may be performed in a different order, yet the desired result can be achieved. In addition, the process shown in the accompanying drawings does not necessarily require the particular order, or order shown, to achieve the desired result. In some implementations, multitasking and parallelism may be advantageous.

100 Operating environment 101 Optical sintering system 102 Optical sintering device 103 Proximity sensor 104 User device 106 Data communication link 107 Sintered area 108 Optical sintering application 110 Application environment 112 Camera 114 View, front view 116 Grid generator 118 Partial area exposure Determiner 120 Exposure Instruction Generator 122 Light Sintered Area Data 124 Image 126 Dimension 127 Dimension 128 Exposure Beam 130 Grid 132 Partial Area 134 Position Data, Real-Time Image 136 Painted Circuit Data 138 Exposure Data 140 Alignment Queue 141 Exposure Area 142 Alignment Queue 200 Block Diagram 202 Grid, Partial Area 204 Sliced Area 206 Partial Area 207 Partial Area 208 Exposure Area 209a, 209b, 209c Overlapping Part Area 210 High Energy Exposure Area 212 Low Energy Exposure Area 300 Process 400 Process 500 Solar Paint Circuit 502 Material 504 p-type hole conductive paint layer 506 light-sensitive paint layer 508 n-type electronic conductive paint layer 510 transparent protective paint layer 512 electrical contacts 514 light-sensitive paint layer

Claims (20)

The step of acquiring an image of the sintered region by one or more processors,
The step of generating a grid of said sintered regions, including a plurality of partial regions relative to the sintered region, by the one or more processors, each partial region being length and width and each within the sintered region. Steps and, defined by the position of
For each specific subregion of the plurality of subregions
The step of determining each partial sintering energy for the specific partial region, and
The step of instructing how to position the photosintering device with respect to the specific partial region, and
The step of acquiring the current position information with respect to the photosintering device and
A step of determining that the current location information suggests that the photosintered device is positioned relative to the particular region according to the instructions on how to position the photosintered device.
The exposure sintering energy for the specific partial region is partly the difference between the partial sintering energy for the specific partial region and the cumulative amount of sintering energy previously applied to the specific partial region. Steps to decide based on
A method comprising the step of initiating exposure of the exposure sintering energy to the particular partial region according to the instructions of how to position the photosintering device. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of acquiring an image of the sintered region includes a step of capturing an image of the sintered region with a camera of a mobile device. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of acquiring the current position information includes a step of receiving one or more images of the sintered region from the camera of the mobile device. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of acquiring an image of the sintered region comprises the step of acquiring one or more images of one or more painted layers on a substrate. Further comprising the step of acquiring the composition data of the sintered region, the composition data is i) the width and length of the one or more painted layers, ii) the one or more painted layers. The method of claim 4, wherein the layer thickness, or iii) comprises one or more of the material compositions of the one or more painted layers. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of determining the total sintering energy for the sintered region based in part on the composition data of the sintered region. The method of claim 6, wherein the total sintering energy for the sintered region corresponds to the amount of energy required to sinter the one or more painted layers of the sintered region. Further including the step of acquiring the composition data of each subregion of the plurality of subregions, the composition data of each subregion is i) the width and length of one or more painted layers in the subregion. , Ii) the layer thickness of the one or more painted layers in the partial region, or iii) one or more of the material compositions of the one or more painted layers in the partial region. The method according to claim 1, which includes a plurality. 8. The eighth aspect of the present invention further comprises a step of determining the respective partial sintering energies for each partial region of the plurality of partial regions based on the composition data of the partial regions of the plurality of partial regions. the method of. The step of determining that the current position information suggests that the photosintering device is positioned relative to the particular partial region according to the instructions on how to position the photosintering device is the photosintering. The method of claim 1, comprising the step of determining that the photosintered device is parallel to the subregion based on proximity data from one or more proximity sensors on the device. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of instructing how to position the photosintered device with respect to the specific partial region includes a step of displaying position information on a display of a mobile device. The step of instructing how to position the light-sintered device with respect to the specific partial region controls the relative position of the light-sintered device with respect to the specific partial region and the light with respect to the specific partial region. The method of claim 1, comprising the step of transmitting an instruction to change the orientation of the sintered device to the automated device. It is a photo-sintering system
An optical sintering device with a light source and multiple proximity sensors,
Data communication link and
One or more processors that perform data communication with the optical sintering device on the data communication link.
The step of acquiring an image of the sintered region by one or more processors,
The step of generating a grid of said sintered regions, including a plurality of partial regions relative to the sintered region, by the one or more processors, each partial region being length and width and each within the sintered region. Steps and, defined by the position of
For each specific subregion of the plurality of subregions
The step of determining each partial sintering energy for the specific partial region, and
The step of instructing how to position the photosintering device with respect to the specific partial region, and
The step of acquiring the current position information with respect to the photosintering device and
A step of determining whether the current location information suggests that the photosintered device is positioned relative to the particular region according to the instructions on how to position the photosintered device.
The exposure sintering energy for the specific partial region is partly the difference between the partial sintering energy for the specific partial region and the cumulative amount of sintering energy previously applied to the specific partial region. Steps to decide based on
One or more that can be operated to perform an operation that includes a step of initiating exposure of the exposure sintering energy to the particular partial region according to the instructions on how to position the photosintering device. An optical sintering system with a processor. The light sintering system according to claim 13, wherein the light source is a flash lamp. The photosintering system according to claim 13, further comprising a mobile device including a camera. The photosintering system according to claim 15, wherein the step of instructing how to position the photosintering device with respect to the specific partial region includes a step of displaying position information on the display of the mobile device. The optical sintering system according to claim 15, wherein the step of acquiring an image of the sintered region includes a step of capturing an image of the sintered region with the camera of the mobile device. The optical sintering system according to claim 17, wherein the step of acquiring the current position information includes a step of receiving one or more images of the sintered region from the camera of the mobile device. The photosintering system of claim 18, wherein the step of acquiring an image of the sintered region comprises the step of acquiring one or more images of one or more painted layers on a substrate. It further comprises an automated device that controls the relative position of the photosintered device with respect to the particular region to change the orientation of the photosintered device with respect to the particular region. The photosintering system according to claim 13, wherein the step of instructing how to position the photosintering device includes a step of transmitting instructions to the automated device.

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